The Music of Chance

With a large inheritance and a recent divorce behind him, Nashe enjoys a carefree freedom and buys a new car to tour the country. While driving, he picks up a hitchhiker, Jack Pozzi, who reveals himself as a professional gambler.

Pozzi explains that he just lost his net worth when the poker game he was playing was robbed and he was beaten by others who suspected him of orchestrating the robbery. Intrigued, Nashe offers to back Pozzi with $10,000 for a rematch.

Flower and Stone, a pair of eccentric millionaires, agree to another game and host it at their vast estate. At first, Pozzi seems to dominate, but the two millionaires prove they are no suckers and steadily win, exhausting the $10,000. Nashe then posts his car as collateral to secure more chips, accepting a stake of about $5,000, far less than the car's value.

After several rounds, Pozzi suffers another loss, and Nashe, who needs the car to go home, proposes a new bet: a single cut of the deck. If Nashe wins the cut, the car is returned; if he loses, he owes $10,000. Nashe loses the cut.

To avoid risking cash repayment, Flower and Stone propose that Nashe and Pozzi work off the debt instead. They supply a pile of 10,000 large stones and set a 50-day deadline to build a wall on their property. The wall-building project becomes the path to debt repayment rather than cash.

Calvin Murks, the foreman, keeps an eye on Nashe and Pozzi as they work. Nashe works methodically, while Pozzi grows increasingly despondent, feeling like a slave to the project.

Pozzi, insulted by a snide remark, assaults Murks. In response, Murks begins coming to the site armed, signaling the growing danger around the workers.

Pozzi tries to escape by burrowing under the fence and disappearing. The next morning Nashe finds him badly beaten outside his shack, and Murks appears to take him toward a hospital. Murks later claims Pozzi recovered and left, but Nashe remains unconvinced.

Murks takes Nashe out for drinks with his son-in-law Floyd. They play a competitive game of pool, and Nashe wins $50. Nashe encourages Floyd to use the money for his own son, and Floyd asks Nashe to owe him a favor in return.

Nashe asks to drive Murks' car back to the house. As they leave, a motorbike's lights approach and Nashe, trying to speed away, loses control and crashes, killing Floyd and Murks.

The injured Nashe is seen strolling along the road when a driver (Paul Auster in a cameo) pulls over to offer him a lift. Nashe tells him he plans to go to Minnesota and asks to be taken to a payphone.

With the crash behind him, Nashe heads toward Minnesota, seeking a payphone to contact his destination. The ending leaves his fate open as he heads toward an unknown future.